


Whoops

by gasolinegut



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Headcanon, Rose Is A Brute, before the war
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 19:04:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8765302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gasolinegut/pseuds/gasolinegut
Summary: Before the war, before "Rose Quartz, the leader of the rebellion, and her terrifying renegade Pearl", it had to start somewhere.





	

Okay, picture this:

Our Pearl is one of many belonging to Pink Diamond, and she spends her days standing decoratively just inside of PD's door on her spaceship, orbiting Earth. One of a matched set, willowy, graceful, bored out of her ever-loving mind. She pays attention to councils, she pays attention to gossip. When she catches a spare moment here or there in her thousands of years, far before this assignment, she feels drawn to piloting and learns everything she can about it without getting shattered for forgetting her place.

Rose is one of Pink's special Quartzes, specifically created to help mine every scrap of energy out of the Earth, including that found in the many green and flowering bits of organic life growing out of it. But Rose "always did what she wanted" and what she wanted was to save her adopted planet. She starts talking about it to other Gems, trying to find a way to keep Earth alive and get Homeworld to leave it as an energy source or a zoo or an experiment. After a mix of strong glares, loud voices, and one or two needed ass kisses, she's invited up to Her Ship to present her case.

Pink Diamond is barely guarded when in her on-ship Headquarters. The two Pearls flanking the door, a few choice Jaspers and Rubies roaming the halls, but she's among her most trusted Gems. Why should it matter?

Rose enters the room, drops her eyes, salutes. Tries to be the very picture of a Perfect Gem, Doing It For The Diamond. She lays out her facts but, as she does so, the small group of advisers and playthings and court members in the room begin to laugh at her. Save the Earth? This is hilarious! Why would you even consider that? From titters to full blown belly laughs, and soon enough PD is in on it, her voice booming from on high. She waves both hands at Rose to get her to stop speaking, the way you do when you're laughing so hard you can't talk.

Rose is stunned. She didn't really expect victory, but neither did she expect ridicule. PD barely even takes the idea seriously enough to be mad. She basically waves it off with a chuckle and a "don't waste my time with this" in Rose's direction, which just pisses the Quartz off. She drops the inside voice and shouts something brave and radical and largely pointless - "I'll save this planet if it's the last thing I do!" maybe - and Pink Diamond laughs again and snaps her fingers and says, "Shatter her."

Two of the big Gems in the room jump on Rose, but she's a fucking brute. She poofs them before they get more than a hand on her, grabbing one head by each flowing mane and whanging them together hard enough to crash their projections. At that point, other Gems start screaming and the exits get clogged. PD is off her throne and about to start throwing underlings away from the closest door when Rose takes her down hard. The edge of a shining pink shield to the elegant neck and there's a pink diamond lying on the metal floor. One more blow from the shield and she's shards, and suddenly the room is deathly still.

The battle fire leaves Rose in a shiver and all of a sudden she realizes what she's done. She bubbles PD, sends her off to the cave on Earth she's been using as a home base, and heads for the door. She just shattered Pink Diamond and there is no way she's getting out of there alive. As she steps into the hallway she feels someone grab her sleeve from behind, and she turns to throw her off and keep going until she sees that it's just a Pearl. The Pearl who spent her days standing around wearing vaguely transparent clothing, eyes fixed on nothing.

The Pearl who heard all the news and who'd been thinking about this "rebellion" that the court was joking about for weeks.

The Pearl who heard all the gossip and knew that, although she could grow anything organic, Rose Quartz was kind of techno-challenged. Couldn't fix her own gadgets. Couldn't run the earth movers herself. Couldn't pilot a ship.

And Pearl can't believe she's saying this, because if she just holds her spot and stays quiet, someone will eventually come along and do whatever needs to be done with her. Reassign her, harvest her, grind her into paste, whatever the other three Diamonds see fit. But Pearl has no time for all that bullshit - opportunity knocks, and she's answering.

"Let me come with you and I can fly us out of here."

Rose looks her up and down and maybe cocks a half smile - because you know Rose - and they bounce. Steal a little round craft, get away, sink it in the ocean, and make their way to safer space. Pick up PD's shards and a few like-minded individuals, and anyway. That's how it happens in my head.


End file.
